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| Truck drivers sleep under a stranded truck on Wednesday. Picture by UB Photos |
Kohima, July 11: The Southern Angami Youth Organisation (SAYO) has called a 96-hour general strike in the southern part of Kohima from today to protest against an incident on June 21 where four persons from Manipur drugged a Naga driver and his friend and robbed them near Senapati town.
The attackers also took away the Tata Mobile from the driver.
The organisation’s president, Peter Zashiimo, said the strike would continue till all the culprits were arrested.
According to sources, the two persons who were arrested, have been released on bail which has infuriated the agitating youths. The organisation members also said the June 21 incident was not the first and there have been frequent incidents of vehicle theft and crime by the people from Manipur.
Vehicles with Manipur registration have stopped plying on NH 29 between Dimapur and Mao gate in Manipur since July 6 after the organisation served an ultimatum to the Manipur government. Other Nagaland-registered vehicles were plying on the highway. Most vehicles in Senapati district possess Nagaland registration numbers.
The Nagaland government is in touch with Manipur to resolve the issue.
The strike has also affected businessmen from Senapati district as the supply of vegetables from Senapati has been stopped.
Most Nagas in Senapati carry out their economic activities in Nagaland though they are from Manipur. Mao market has also been affected.
The Angami Youth is in a dilemma whether vehicles belonging to Nagas in Manipur would be stopped or allowed to ply during the strike.
Zashiimo said they were compelled to impose a total strike, as there was no positive response from the Manipur government. He apologised to the passengers who would be affected during the 96-hour strike.
Kohima deputy commissioner Beiu Angami said he was in touch with his counterpart in Senapati to defuse the matter so that Manipur was not affected. Police personnel from Kohima were in Senapati as the incident took place in Senapati district.
The Kohima administration has deployed police and India Reserve Battalion personnel along the highway.
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